The Week Junior - UK (2022-03-19)

24 The Week Junior • 19 March 2022

Do something

HOW, WHAT,

WHERE?

GE

TTY

IM

AG

ES^ ·

RE

X^ SH

UTT

ERS

TOC

K

I

f you enjoy puzzles, cracking codes, solving mysteries and

working as a team against the clock, then an escape room

experience is perfect for you.

There are lots of escape room companies around the UK.

As a family or a group of friends, you enter a room through

one door and must work your way around the room

by doing things such as reading clues, finding

keys or codes and working out how to

progress so you can escape through the

exit door. You will usually move through

several rooms, hallways – and maybe

even secret tunnels that you find.

Escape rooms often have a time

limit of 60 minutes to solve all the

problems. If you can’t do it in the time

given, you fail the mission – but you

will still have had a great time trying.

Staff will offer clues if you get stuck. They

watch the rooms on cameras and know how

you are getting on.

One of the best things is that all escape rooms have a

theme. Pick something you will find exciting, such as wizards

and magic, spies, space travel, prison break, aliens, sport –

or whatever else is available at the escape room company.

Perhaps you will be given costumes to wear, depending on

the theme you choose. Wearing goggles and a white

laboratory coat to crack science-based

puzzles, for example, adds even more

drama. You may see staff members in the

rooms, too, acting as characters who

offer instructions or tips.

If you can’t go along to an

escape room in real life, ask an adult

to help you search for an online

escape room experience. From the

comfort of home – and linking up with

friends online – you can begin a virtual

journey through the games, try to answer

the questions and tackle the tests that will

get you to the end.

Escape rooms are

great fun with friends.

What about board games?

Like online games, escape-room-

themed board games are another

way to enjoy this experience.

Use the clue cards, models,

instructions and pieces from

the board game to recreate the

feeling of being locked in and

needing to crack codes.

“I LOVE THE

EXCITEMENT”

“I love the excitement

of escape rooms!

My favourite was

saving Christmas.

We worked out the

reindeers’ favourite

foods and turned

dials for a secret door to open. I also

did a chocolate factory room where

we got treats for solving puzzles.

Another was a jungle and for one

puzzle we put our hands into dark

holes and worked out what the

animals were by feeling them.

Name:

Max

NAM

E^ OF

THE^ G

AME

Escape

rooms

are^

someti
mes^ kn
own^ as
live^

escape

s,^ escap

e^ game

s^

and^ ex

it^ game

s.

Is there an age limit?

Some rooms have an older age limit

but most are aimed at people

around eight years or older. Check

before booking. It’s good to have a

range of ages in your group so that

you have lots of skills to solve the

puzzles. You’ll often need at least

one adult in the group. Prices can

start from about £12 per person.

Work together

to solve puzzles.